DALLAS, SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 – The Dallas Opera has several gentle reminders regarding recent triumphs and the exciting, upcoming season.
Single tickets for the company’s “Tragic Obsessions” Season, presented by Texas Instruments Foundation, went on-sale to the general public yesterday, starting at just $25. Tickets can be purchased either online at dallasopera.org or by contacting Dallas Opera Ticket Services at 214.443.1000.
Full-season subscriptions remain on sale, starting at $76 for all four stellar productions: Lucia di Lammermoor (Oct. 21-Nov. 6), Tristan & Isolde (an opera-in-concert, Feb.16-25), La traviata (April 13-29), and The Magic Flute (April 20-May 6). “Build-Your-Own” three-performance subscriptions start at $75 dollars.
Subscribers enjoy numerous perks, as well as special events and performances, including free admission to the exclusive “General Director’s Roundtable” focused on arts issues of the day.
The next roundtable will tackle the topic of “Collaboration in the Arts” with General Director & CEO Keith Cerny; David Devan, General Director of Opera Company of Philadelphia; and Kevin Moriarty, Artistic Director of the Dallas Theater Center. The discussion, presented in partnership with D magazine, will be moderated by D magazine Arts Editor Peter Simek.

“My ideas about exciting, new possibilities for creative partnerships in the arts were being formulated long before I ever set foot in Dallas,” explains TDO General Director & CEO Keith Cerny.
“One of my first tasks was to introduce myself to the other arts organizations in town and find the points of intersection where meaningful collaborations might be possible. Those discussions got underway almost at once, resulting in the Dallas Opera’s very first simulcast last October in collaboration with AT&T Performing Arts Center, our first artistic partnership with the Dallas Museum of Art to present a world premiere song cycle inspired by works from the permanent collections, and the announcement of a history-making collaboration with the Dallas Theater Center to launch the Dallas Opera’s new chamber opera series next March.
“These partnerships serve many important purposes,” adds Mr. Cerny. “They increase our exposure in the community even as they deepen our base of support. The radical exchange of ideas, in itself, alters the way we think about this great art form. It eliminates the perceived boundaries in which we operate or perform; it makes us challenge our existing assumptions about what we can or cannot do.
“And, it helps us to take an art form that some regard as aloof and make it exciting and relevant for a much broader cross-section of the community.”

This event—one of the exclusive perks of subscribing to the Dallas Opera—will be held in the Studio Theatre located on Level Six of the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre at the AT&T Performing Arts Center (directly across Flora Street from the Winspear Opera House) on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 6:30 PM.
On-site parking is available beneath the Winspear in the Lexus Red Parking Garage. Take the elevator up to the plaza and cross the street on foot.

Please note: Seating is limited, reservations are required and, due to anticipated subscriber demand, this event is not open to the general public. Those who subscribe now are urged to inquire about how to RSVP for the General Director’s Roundtable.
Thursday, September 15th is a very important day for the Dallas Opera: It’s North Texas Giving Day at DonorBridge. From 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM that day, donations of $25 or more made on www.donorbridgetx.org will be matched, in part, from an unprecedented $1 million pool underwritten and raised by DonorBridge founders Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, and Center for Non-Profit Management.
Just go to www.donorbridgetx.org, search for “Dallas Opera” and click “Donate Now” and be prepared to pay by credit card. Your donation will go a long way in supporting the music and drama you love!
Everyone who donates at least $25 through DonorBridge that day will automatically be entered to win one of three pairs of tickets to the FIRST NIGHT cocktail party at the Winspear Opera House on Friday, October 21—Opening Night of the Season!
And, speaking of which, mark your calendars for the Dallas Opera’s next free, public simulcast: “Plazacast@the Center” presented Friday, October 21, 2011 in collaboration with the AT&T Performing Arts Center in the plaza in front of the Winspear Opera House. Blankets, kids, picnic baskets, pillows—all welcome but, please, leave any pets at home. The red-carpet action and fashion show starts at 6:00 PM, before the curtain goes up on the Opening Night performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, set in Scotland, streamed live onto a giant screen beginning at 7:30 PM.
Opera with the stars—under the stars!

Tonight at 7:00 PM, it’s the first installment of “Dallas Opera Encore Performances,” featuring three stunning productions from the 2010-2011 Season: Romeo and Juliet, starring American tenor Charles Castronovo, Russian soprano Lyubov Petrova, British bass Robert Lloyd and Canadian baritone Joshua Hopkins in a lovely production conducted by Maestro Marco Zambelli and staged by Michael Kahn, the artistic director of Washington, D.C.’s Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Presented on WRR, Classical 101.1 FM and hosted by WRR Operations Manager Kurt Rongey; it’s a local listener’s sole opportunity to experience these critically acclaimed productions, now that they have left the Dallas Opera stage.
The WRR broadcast schedule is as follows:

These were productions that left the critics struggling for superlatives by the end of last season. Which prompts the question: can we do it again in 2011-2012?

“During the upcoming season,” explains Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Keith Cerny, “we’ll be exploring ways to refresh and re-imagine our approach to some of the most popular and compelling works in the repertoire. At the same time, we will also strive to keep the company on a bold, 21st century trajectory through the use of exciting new technologies, innovative use of the extraordinary production capabilities of the Winspear Opera House, and a renewed emphasis on strengthening connections with our existing patrons while also developing new audiences.”
Which is a rather complex way of saying, “Fasten your seatbelts! Another tremendous season of the Dallas Opera is just a month away!”

THE DALLAS OPERA GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES
THE TEXAS INSTRUMENTS FOUNDATION,
PRESENTER OF THE 2011-2012 SEASON

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “AUGUST AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE, 24/7
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS

THE DALLAS OPERA WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERS:

AMERICAN AIRLINES – OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
LEXUS – OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THE DALLAS OPERA
CARTIER – OFFICIAL JEWELER & WATCHMAKER OF THE DALLAS OPERA
ROSEWOOD CRESCENT HOTEL – OFFICIAL HOTEL OF THE DALLAS OPERA
AMERICAN EXPRESS – SPONSOR OF THE LIGHTHOUSE
LOCKHEED MARTIN – WEEKEND SERIES SPONSOR

Ticket Information for the 2011-2012 Dallas Opera Season

All performances are in the acoustically acclaimed Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Season subscriptions start at just $76, FLEX subscriptions (three performances) begin at $75—and are on sale now. Single tickets are on sale, starting at just $25. For more information, contact the friendly staff at The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org. Principal cast members and events may be subject to change. All ticket sales are final.

THE DALLAS OPERA 2011-2012 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-Fifth International Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in downtown Dallas. With the exception of Tristan & Isolde, evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 p.m. Tristan’s evening performances will start at 7:00 p.m. and matinees at 2:00 p.m. Performances of The Lighthouse (new chamber opera series) will take place in the Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre located directly across the street from the Winspear in the AT&T Performing Arts Center. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance. Assistance is available for the hearing impaired.

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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; TACA; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Cartier is the official jeweler and watchmaker of The Dallas Opera. Rosewood Crescent Hotel is the official hotel of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. A special thanks to Mrs. William W. Winspear and the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for their continuing support.